Eco-Friendly Breakthrough: Visible Light Harvesting Fe₂VO₄/CS/g-ZnO Nanocomposite for Highly Effective Chloramphenicol Photocatalytic Degradation

This paper presents highly efficient synthesis to address the widespread environmental problem of pharmaceuticals polluting. Through nanocomposite exhibits remarkable catalytic prowess, thereby advancing the efficacy of water treatment processes. Fe₂VO₄ and g-ZnO (green synthesized ZnO) were separately synthesized via hydrothermal method. Whereas, Chitosan (CS) was fabricated via ionotropic gelation method. Finally, the Fe₂VO₄/CS/g-ZnO nanocomposite was fabricated by common stirring method, which undergoes investigated by multiple techniques such as XRD to know the average crystallite size (25 nm). Whereas, SEM and TEM used to identify the morphology. Optical properties such as UV–Vis DRS used to find-out the band gap (1.9 eV and PL shows the recombination rate. EIS shows the effective charge transfer. The surface area was investigated by using BET (6.10 m² g⁻¹) and TGA-DTA (stability at 500 to 700 °C), the samples were used to study the Chloramphenicol (CAP) degradation in water when exposed to visible light. The photocatalytic degradation of was studied using the Fe₂VO₄/CS/g-ZnO nanocomposite, achieving an efficiency of 91.5% under optimal conditions of 40 mg of catalyst dosage and 10 mg/L initial CAP concentration, following pseudo-first-order kinetics with a rate of 0.0351 min⁻¹. It was determined that the main reactive species in charge of CAP degradation were hydroxyl radicals and holes. At last, a workable charge transfer mechanism was put forth into account for the generation of the reactive species, and GC–MS analysis was utilized to monitor the CAP degradation path. Above results address a crucial problem in modern environmental research by making a substantial contribution to the development of environmentally friendly and sustainable water purification methods that protect aquatic ecosystems.